About the work
“Zur fröhlichen Zwietracht!” (roughly: “To Joyful Discord!”) is a commissioned comedy subtitled “a comedy of reconciliation” by Jan Neumann, developed by him during rehearsals with the ensemble of Hans Otto Theater Potsdam. The play follows Neumann's Potsdam portrait “7 ½ Brücken” and premiered on 9 October 2026 in the main house of Hans Otto Theater.
Plot
A power outage and planned infrastructure works set long-standing residents of a weekend-house settlement against newcomers. Questions of progress versus tradition, economy versus ecology, and city versus countryside escalate into an increasingly comic, chaotic debate that pushes everyone involved to their limits.
Cultural significance
The play continues Neumann's series of commissioned ensemble comedies, in which he humorously sharpens regional and social conflicts of individual cities and regions, here focused on the area around Potsdam.